The prospect of a Trump White House has put many on edge. Incumbent US President Barack Obama told reporters at last week’s G7 conference in Japan that world leaders “have good reason to be rattled” by remarks made by Trump.

In his interview, Hawking also declared his support for the ‘Remain’ campaign ahead of the June 23 EU referendum.

The Cambridge University professor said the EU is an important facilitator of scientific research.

“There are two obvious reasons why we should stay in. The first is that it promotes the mobility of people. Students can come here from EU countries to study, and our students can go to other EU universities,” he said.